Radio Galaxy Zoo Talk

The IR source is like a cross

  • infobservador by infobservador

    The IR source is like a cross

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate in response to infobservador's comment.

    You're on a roll today, infobservador!!!

    That's about as clear a radio signature of a jet+lobe from a core as you could ask for, and the core seems to be ... wait for it ... SDSS J154336.07+110512.9, a z=0.084 spiral in the throes of a major merger:

    enter image description here

    The spectrum is classified as STARFORMING, but may have hints of an AGN ...

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate

    OK, thinking about this some more ... it's entirely possible that the 'core' for the radio source is the upper (N) part - coinciding with the upper (faint) IR source - not the lower, and that the jet extends 'downward' (to the south). If so, then this would be a chance alignment, and the core would be in the far distance, at a redshift of ~0.6 or more (otherwise it'd likely be detected in SDSS, as a faint red blob). Also, it wouldn't be too much beyond ~0.9 or so, otherwise it wouldn't be detected by WISE.

    Posted

  • ivywong by ivywong scientist, admin

    Hmmm, interesting. It is very rare for spirals to have large radio jets..... I suspect that the faint IR source is more likely to be the host but only follow-up observations will confirm this for sure. Nice work though 😃

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate

    Here's a composite FIRST+SDSS image of this object, from my post in the GZ forum thread Friday, 21 February, 2014: Very Strange Spirals?:

    enter image description here

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate in response to JeanTate's comment.

    Just posted another image over in the GZ forum thread, with FIRST contours:

    enter image description here

    Here's what I wrote:

    Is this galaxy the likely host of the radio emission? We definitely need a radio astronomer to weigh in on that! :😃 However, it could be an hourglass, or a jet/lobe; either way, the axis seems to point right at the galaxy's nucleus. To be conservative, I'd have to say "maybe", so fair (but wouldn't be soooo cool if there were a faint counter lobe - symmetrically placed of course).

    Posted

  • 42jkb by 42jkb scientist, admin

    I would have to say that the spiral galaxy is not related to the radio emission. The radio indicates a double lobe structure so I would say that it is related to another galaxy which is too faint for SDSS to detect.

    Posted